Woman almost hit by aircraft fuel cap that fell from the sky

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A woman narrowly missed getting hit by an aircraft fuel cap that fell from the sky and crashed into her backyard swimming pool.

Dara Hackett and her friend were sitting on her patio in Florida, United States when they heard a loud noise, CBS-affiliate WKMG-TV reported on Thursday, Aug. 1. It turned out to have been caused by a disc-shaped aircraft fuel cap, about 8 inches in width and smelling like gas.

“Worse than a gunshot. Like a very, very, very loud bang, a ting noise,” Hackett was quoted as saying. “Then, you heard it hit the pool and splash.”

A label on the aircraft fuel cap said “fuel servicing” and codes showed that it was a “commercial aircraft grade fuel cap,” as per report.

Hackett did not know from which aircraft the cap came from, but stressed how she was frightened by it.

“That could have killed me,” Hackett added. “It could have killed my friend, and it could have killed my dog.”

Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration said there were no reported emergency landings at Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport on the day of the incident. They added that they are investigating to determine where the fuel cap exactly came from. Hannah Mallorca/JB

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